Democratic Veteran

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November 01, 2004

Sick ...

As the campaign closes in the next two days, this little gem just dropped out of the NY Times...I don't think it's much of bombshell, but had it been a page one story a week or two ago, it would certainly have provided an opening for the Dems on a facet of the health care issue.

Remember, Fearless Leader goes on and on and on ad nauseum about John Kerry wanting “Big Gubmint” to take over health care. Interestingly it seems, so do the bidnesses that support the republicans. It's good for the bottom line and makes Wall Street, that ultimate arbiter of social justice orgasmically happy.

In the national debate over what to do about the growing number of working people with little or no health insurance, no other company may be taking more heat than the country's largest employer, Wal-Mart Stores.
...
Now, Wal-Mart finds itself under attack for what critics see as its miserly approach to employee health care, which they say is forcing too many of its workers and their families into state insurance programs or making them rely on charity care by hospitals.

Wal-Mart vigorously defends its health care policies, saying it offers affordable coverage for all employees.
...
But critics say the reality for too many Wal-Mart workers and their families is no insurance - either because they are unable to meet the company's eligibility requirements or because they cannot afford monthly premiums as high as $264 a month for family coverage on an $8-an-hour cashier's wage. Wal-Mart says its employees make $10 an hour on average.
...
The company says it spent about $1.3 billion of its $256 billion in revenue last year on employee health care to insure about 537,000 people, or about 45 percent of its work force. Wal-Mart says that 23 percent of its employees are not eligible for coverage, but that it covers 58 percent of those who are.

That compares with an insured rate of 96 percent of eligible full-time or part-time employees of Costco Wholesale, the discount retailer that is Wal-Mart's closest competitor nationwide. Costco employees - most of whom are not represented by a union - become eligible for health insurance after three months working full time, or six months part time.

At Wal-Mart, which has no union employees, many who work full time must wait six months to become eligible. Part-time workers are not eligible for at least two years. Because of turnover, some employees never work long enough to become eligible.
...
Many employees say they simply cannot afford the health plans being offered. Ms. Caizza, for example, worked about 32 hours a week, making $8 an hour. Full-time employees make about $1,200 a month on those wages, meaning the $133 to $264 they are asked to pay for family coverage may not be within their reach. And even the cheapest plans come with a hefty out-of-pocket price for employees, where they may be on the hook for as much as $13,000 in medical costs for their families.
...
"We work very hard for that to be affordable," said Ms. Chambers, the Wal-Mart executive, who said she thought the prices for the least expensive plans were "a very reasonable opening-price point.''
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But Wal-Mart says it is not reasonable to ask companies like it to solve the problems of the uninsured and the escalating cost of medical care. It needs to be "part of a national debate," Ms. Chambers said.

My emphasis. Ahhh, but Ms. Chambers, when anyone tries to make it part of any national debate your paid surrogates in congress run around making noises about socialism, incensing doctors with visions of Soviet-style medicine and having your bought-and-paid-for 1600 Crew critters blather negatively about anything which might actually force you begin to care for your employees in a meaningful way.

I personally don't shop at Wal-Mart, because of the conditions and employment practices it chooses to use. I realize that this is a choice that not everyone can or wants to make. If there were a Costco locally, I'd choose to support it because it seems to be a company with a social conscience. But that's just me. If my having to pay an extra buck on my grocery bill means that someone who works gets to have health insurance, then fine. But then, I'm a Democrat, I'm the type who foolishly believes that Government uses my tax dollars to help and protect us. Until about 2000 of course.

posted by Jo Fish on 11.01.04 at 12:06 AM

Comments:

Costco employees are paid a hell of a lot better too. Wish they'd open here in Columbus. I refuse to shop at Wally's World.

posted by: Susan Paxton on 11.01.04 at 07:52 AM [permalink]

I won't shop at Wal-Mart. Besides the bad working conditions for employees and such, most everything they sell is such shit - I wouldn't want to have it near my home in the first place.

At some point in life - one has to examine the value of either saving a couple bucks, or supporting the country in which we live in by spending a couple more bucks.

Recently out refrigerator died. After searching for a couple days, we found most American made (yeah, right) models were junk - and bought a Samsung. Not only is it better made, it has remarkable and smartly engineered energy saving features. And a 5 year from the factory compressor warranty. 90% of American brands offer 2 years tops.

We spend our money where it will do us best. I no longer work because I am disabled. Every dime counts. But I will not sacrifice buying junk products more often just to think we're 'saving money'.

posted by: Barndog on 11.01.04 at 01:35 PM [permalink]

Sorry for entering an irrelevancy here, but I thought you all should know that South Knox Bubba is censoring posts unfavorable to John Kerry. He's even made it so that anyone posting from my ISP (a large, nationwide ISP), is automatically redirected to the Free Republic site.

SKB's a coward. He cannot stomach bad news (that Osama wants Kerry to win, as reported at memri.org and the NY Times) and doesn't even have the brains to engage in informed debate. He simply silences contrary posts.

Fight censorship! Tell Bubba to let EVERYONE speak!

Ha!

posted by: buzz on 11.01.04 at 02:23 PM [permalink]

Bullshit buzz. You make a bunch of unsupported statements. You do not defend your defenseless arguments. Neither SKB nor the honorable Mr Fish have any requirement to let you or any idiot pollute their site. SKB certainly accepts posts from conservatives and republicans. SayUncle, Les Jones, & Stacy(pusedonym) all have engaged SKB and his readers in protracted arguments/dicussions. You are simply a piece of crap and you are upset that he sees you for what you are. Go away, this is an adult discussion too.

posted by: CAFKIA on 11.01.04 at 05:36 PM [permalink]

While boycotting WalMart, don't forget to boycott Sam's Club. It's the same bunch of thugs.

posted by: Brenda Helverson on 11.01.04 at 07:21 PM [permalink]

Oh, dear, cafkia. Once the name-calling comes out, you know you're out of arguments.

My statements that Osama wants Kerry to win are amply supported here (http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SA1404) and in Wm. Safire's column in the NY Times.

The difference is I DON'T throw out unsupported stuff but back it up with FACTS--unpleasant facts, to judge by the reaction.

posted by: buzz on 11.01.04 at 07:26 PM [permalink]

What's completely missing from this discussion is what percentage of Wal-Mart employees are there less than, say, 3 months, and how many are a second salary to a spouse who has health insurance. It's just like talk of the minimum wage--aside from ignoring basic economics, all an increase in the minimum wage tends to do is make for wealthier (realitively speaking) teenagers, since the vast majority of minimum wage jobs are those held by high school and college students.

posted by: Bobby J. on 11.01.04 at 07:57 PM [permalink]

Oops. Didn't mean to post just yet.

Yes, a lot of stuff at Wal-Mart is crap, but hey, a DVD is a DVD. Why pay $21 for it at Best Buy when you can get it for $13.99 at Wal-Mart? The money saved at Store X is spent at Store Y, thus spreading the wealth. check out the European economies that regulate how much competition can be in a given market, then compare the relative prices they pay BEFORE taxes.

That's basic economics. Go read Adam Smith sometime.

posted by: Bobby J. on 11.01.04 at 08:00 PM [permalink]

"My statements that Osama wants Kerry to win are amply supported here (http://www.memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SA1404) and in Wm. Safire's column in the NY Times."

Yes. Hard, credible facts, elucidated by the esteemed william safire. If you dont believe him this statement has also been PROVEN to be true by Robert Novack and George Will so there pinkos :P................extreme sarcasm

posted by: Marcus B. Nestor on 11.01.04 at 09:04 PM [permalink]

The ultimate proof is the memri.org site, which translates all sorts of Arabic news and commentary into English. It's not even run by Americans, so it's doubtful they're partisan.

Besides, if they skew their translations, they'll get caught, since they post both the Arabic and English. Believe it: Osama wants Kerry to win.

Typical lib view, though: shoot the messenger, ignore the message. And they claim to be the smart ones.

posted by: buzz on 11.01.04 at 10:18 PM [permalink]

I've seen the Wal-Mart story before. Sadly, it was not persistently hammered over and over again. Social-ism for the rich, "capitalism" for the poor. Just to rub salt in the wound, the poor get to pay for the rich's subsidies.

posted by: Glen England on 11.01.04 at 11:01 PM [permalink]

The next POTUS selects 3 judges. Kerry will pick 3 judges that are PROLABOR.

Once right to strike comes back, the people can join together, sue for living wages and restrict market access to companies and countries that also pay a living wage.

It will take 8-10 year's time. It will match the balanced(by then) budget.

Aunt has to go through Wal-Mart for Champus. I couldn't stand setting foot in the store, and she would call in and still her orders were not ready. Making people wait in hope they spend more money.

posted by: Mr.Murder on 11.02.04 at 02:34 AM [permalink]

I shop at the only local grocery stores that have a union Kroger and Meijers. One thing growing up in a UAW family taught me is to SHOP UNION!

posted by: Marine's Girl on 11.02.04 at 03:21 AM [permalink]

Osama bin Forgotten also wants the sun to rise tomorrow. He wants water to be drinkable and food to provide sustenance. Might I deduce from your pitiful arguments buzz, that you are opposed to all those things? No? Why do you love OBL buzz? What are you, some kind of commie? If you hate Amurikkka, why don't you go back to whatever facist idiot farm that spawned you?

Have I ever told you that you disgust me?

posted by: CAFKIA on 11.02.04 at 06:54 AM [permalink]

buzz -

Brownshirts are on sale at Wal-Mart these days.

Take Cheney's advise and Go Fuck Yourself with one along with O'Reillys anal dildo.

Semper FI

posted by: Barndog on 11.02.04 at 08:15 AM [permalink]

Buzz - get lost. Bubba has the good sense to cut you and your drivel off on his website, now you drop by here to pollute Jo's site. Why aren't you enlisting in the service to show your support of Preznit Shithead's policies of pre-emptive war. He really needs more cannon fodder and you fit the bill.

posted by: Lowell on 11.02.04 at 09:54 AM [permalink]

Mr. Murder
(What a name!) Read the history of the Smoot-Hawley Trade Act. The Great Depression was not caused by the stock market crash of 1929. That was only a symptom of underlying economic weaknesses. There was no necessary reason it had to lead to a Depression--it didn't for several years--but the trade protectionism of Smoot-Hawley is what tipped the world into depression.

We cannot have 1930s solutions to 21st century problems. The world is different; we face at least three major economic powers (India, China, and the European Union) that have reordered the economic order.

I don't fear the EU too much, because they can't give up important constituencies (labor being one) in order to make necessary changes to be competitive worldwide. They rely instead on protectionism (viz. their actions against Microsoft and Sun). But India and China will eat our lunch if we revert to 70-year-old solutions.

Unfortunately, it's a different world that needs different solutions beyond protectionism, guaranteed wages, etc. Sounds cruel, I know, but the alternative is worse.

posted by: Bobby J. on 11.02.04 at 04:52 PM [permalink]